Markey and Lynch Set to Debate Steadily from Now to April 30

Six debates for the Democratic primary contenders.

Stephen Lynch and Ed Markey have agreed to debate six times in the run-up to the April 30 primary in the Massachusetts Senate Special Election. Three of the debatesâ€”inÂ Lowell, New Bedford and a TBD locationâ€”will focus on specific policy issues:Â jobs and the economy, domestic policy, and foreign policy. The other threeâ€”inÂ Boston, Springfield and Worcesterâ€”will be general interest.

There are just 64 days until the primary which means that six debates is, well, a whole lot of debates … They’ll have to come fast and furious to fit the schedule. And compare it to Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren, who were battling in a general election, not a primary, and only agreed on four. (They held three, and even those got pretty repetitive.) Markey’s statement is boiler-plate, but Lynch’s actually sounds a bit disappointed there aren’tÂ more debates:

I am glad that we have reached agreement on debates and look forward to getting started as soon as possible. While I would be happy to debate more frequently, the reality is that we have nine weeks left in this election, and both Ed and I have to spend time in Washington trying to fix the budget mess. So I think this debate schedule makes sense given the tight timeframe of the election.